Staff costs in a contact center account for a big portion, often 60-70% of the contact center's total expenditure. It is desirable, therefore, to predict the amount of work that will come into a contact center and match it with the right staff ratio. However this can be a complex and time-consuming job. When variables such as staff absences and other workforce shrinkages are put into the mix, accuracy rates may go down, leaving contact centers over- or under-staffed. This could result in wasted money and/or loss of potential revenues. Accordingly, what is desired is a system and method for aiding the forecast of predicted shrinkages of the workforce to appropriately staff the contact center.